Every year we are growing increasingly addicted to plastics. Despite efforts to reduce the production of single-use plastics, the global dependence on them keeps on growing. Global plastics production has risen dramatically over the last hundred years, increasing almost 230-fold between 1950 and 2019. According to the OECD, the global production of plastics doubled between 2000 and 2019, reaching 460 million tonnes. It is expected to almost triple by 2060, reaching 1,231 million tonnes. Meanwhile, only 9 percent of this plastic is recycled, with around 14 million tonnes finding its way into the ocean every year. Single-use plastics account for around 40 percent of plastics production, which contribute heavily to waste. In 2019, there were around 353 million tonnes of plastic waste, 21 percent of which came from the U.S., 28 percent from other OECD member states, 19 percent from China and 5 percent from India.

The production of plastics contributes heavily to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 3.4 percent of global emissions in 2019. More than 99 percent of plastics are derived from oil, gas and coal, which is contributing to our ongoing dependence on fossil fuels, even as we decrease our direct use of fossil fuels for energy. The continued use of plastics could lead to plastics contributing 15 percent of the global carbon budget by 2050. 

Several governments are now attempting to reduce their dependence on plastics by introducing policies to ban single-use plastic products, putting pressure on retailers to reduce their plastic use, and introducing a tax on virgin resin - manufactured from natural resources such as petrochemical feedstock, crude oil, and natural gas. In the U.K., the government introduced a ban on single-use plastics in 2023, including single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, polystyrene cups and food containers, as well as placing restrictions on other plastic products. England uses around 2.7 billion items of single-use plastic cutlery and 721 million single-use plates every year, most of which are not recycled. The 2023 law builds upon a previous ban on certain single-use plastics such as straws. The government now aims to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. 

Several other countries have committed to banning single-use plastics in recent years. Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bags, in 2002, and 130 other countries have since introduced similar bans. The U.S. led the world in the banning of plastic microbeads, quickly followed by other countries including the U.K., Canada, Taiwan, and New Zealand. The Biden administration has called plastics pollution one of the world’s most pressing environmental problems and recently stated that it plans to phase out the purchase of single-use plastics.

This month, the White House said it had plans to introduce the first comprehensive strategy to tackle plastic use across the country, aimed at decreasing the demand for single-use plastic items and creating a market for reusable, recyclable and compostable alternatives. The head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Mallory, stated that the policy would “require unprecedented action at every stage of the plastic life cycle.” The Federal Government could also have a significant impact on the supply of these products because of its purchasing power. 

While the U.S. is ambitious about a new plastics policy, environmentalists have criticised the country for being far behind many other world powers when it comes to plastics pollution. For example, to date, only 12 states have adopted plastic bag bans. The U.S. generates more plastic waste than any other country, meaning that the introduction of a policy to curb plastics use would have a major global impact. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now has plans to regulate per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” in the production of plastic containers. While there are high hopes for a major change in plastics use in the U.S. over the coming decades, it depends heavily on who wins the presidential election in November. If Donald Trump returns to the White House, plans to reduce plastic use will likely be scrapped, which could halt progress to reduce plastics pollution at the international level. 

Nevertheless, in March 2022, over 170 countries joined a treaty to bring an end to plastic pollution, expected to be launched by the end of 2024. The treaty addresses the lifecycle of plastics, considering production through to waste management. It aims to promote sustainable production and consumption and encourage a circular economy for plastics. The hope is to solve the plastics problem within a generation. By committing to the treaty, Winnie Lau, the director of the Preventing Ocean Plastics project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, believes“we can solve this problem and cut plastic going into the environment by 80% by 2040.” Lau added, “The rest of it, that’s going to take some innovation, but based on what we have found, [this problem is] solvable within a generation.”